Business

Smartphone shipments grow 57%

Released at: 09:46, 13/03/2015

IDC report notes smartphones standing out in overall mobile phone import growth, with Samsung still leading the way.

by Do Huong

According to IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Q4 2014, a total of 28.7 million mobile phones were shipped to Vietnam last year, for annual growth of 13 per cent year-on-year. Smartphones saw the highest growth, with total shipments of 11.6 million units, reflecting year-on-year growth of 57 per cent. They also represented 41 per cent of all mobile phones shipped to Vietnam last year and are expected to eclipse feature phones this year. “Rapidly declining smartphone prices led to the rise in smartphone penetration rates in Vietnam throughout 2014,” said Mr. Vo Le Tam Thanh, Senior Market Analyst, Mobile Devices, at IDC Vietnam. “The low-cost segment has been the main driver, with six out of ten smartphones shipped to Vietnam being budget models priced below $150.”

Samsung remained the king of Vietnam’s smartphone market despite its market share falling considerably over the last few years, from 54 per cent in 2012 to 26 per cent in 2014. Nokia/Microsoft, on the other hand, continued to grow strongly in Vietnam, climbing from 16 per cent market share in 2013 to 24 per cent in 2014. “Microsoft continues to defy global trends in Vietnam, where the company has established a stronghold within the region,” said Mr. Daniel Pang, Senior Research Manager for Client Devices at IDC ASEAN. “However, most of its shipments are targeted towards budget consumers, as the lucrative premium segment is still dominated by Apple and Samsung.”

IDC also recorded an increased in smartphone shipments within the 5” to 5.5” screen size band during the last quarter of 2014. “While Vietnamese are more resistant to the phablet (a smartphone with a screen size between 5.5” and 7”) craze compared with other markets, IDC continues to see growing interest in larger screen sizes,” Mr. Thanh added. “This trend is helped by both falling prices and greater interest in internet browsing and mobile gaming on larger screen phones.”